Baby OTJ for 5 days...so far, so good!

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Leah & Baby

Leah & Baby

Member Since 2015
I made the decision to stop the injections when he went hypo on me two times within a week. I thought I was supposed to wait for his AMPS to go below 100, and that wasn't happening. With the hypo episodes at only a .25u shot, I was getting the indication that maybe he didn't need the assistance of the shots. His numbers have been quite good and he even had an AM below 100 one morning. I will continue to monitor him, but for now, I will allow myself a little sigh of relief.

I am very grateful for this forum. I trust the experience of the members and the guidance I have gotten more than that of my vet. I understand that it is difficult for a vet to know everything about every ailment of every animal. Members here have more in-depth, up-to-date knowledge and working experience about feline diabetes than the vets I have worked with. This support gives me the confidence to make the judgments and decisions that keep my boy as well as possible for as long as possible. THANK YOU!
 
Looking good! Are you using a human glucometer or a pet-specific one like the Alpha Trak?

Just an fyi - feeding her frequent small meals will help reduce the work of a healing pancreas. If you're not already doing that, you might try. Eating a little bit can stimulate the sputtering pancreas to put out a little insulin, bringing down the blood sugar as well and helping flatten out the cycle.
 
julie & punkin (ga) said:
Looking good! Are you using a human glucometer or a pet-specific one like the Alpha Trak?

Just an fyi - feeding her frequent small meals will help reduce the work of a healing pancreas. If you're not already doing that, you might try. Eating a little bit can stimulate the sputtering pancreas to put out a little insulin, bringing down the blood sugar as well and helping flatten out the cycle.
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Human meter--Accuchek Aviva
Great advice! HE seems to know that and asks for a small snack midday each day, and I have been giving him a few raw bites at night before bed, too. I try to keep his main meals smallish because of the snacking.
 
When I think of frequent small meals (which isn't defined anywhere), I think about feeding about every 3 hours. When cats are on an OTJ trial, and a blue test pops up, we suggest that they feed the cat a little bit, then retest the blood sugar in about 3-4 hours. That process often brings down the blood sugar.

Just to reassure you, a number in the 50's on a human meter isn't a hypo. Those following the Tight Reg protocol would allow a cat to drop under 50 and use the 40's to bring up the blood sugar. So I think Baby was safe in the 50's that you got earlier. Here's the description of what to look for in remission:

Remission:
  • From Tilly's Diabetes Homepage:
    Phase 5: Remission

    "14 days without insulin and normal blood glucose values. Most remission cats are able to stay in the normal range all of the time (50 to 80 mg/dl), although there are a few cases of sporadic higher and lower BGs. Don't stop feeding low-carb and try to avoid cortisone if possible. Test the cat's BGs once per month.

    Approximately 25% cats that achieved remission using this protocol relapsed and required insulin again (frequent causes are hyperthyroidism or bouts of pancreatitis). Therefore, it is important to keep your diabetes kit up-to-date. Then you can react immediately by giving insulin and home testing. Importantly, the sooner you react to a relapse (i.e. preventing hyperglycemia and initiating other necessary veterinary treatment), the more likely a second remission will become.

    The longer a cat has had diabetes, the less likely it will go into remission. Many long-term diabetics get stuck in Phase 3 or 4. Yet there is a benefit of using this method for such a cat as well: keeping the cat's BG levels as normal as possible is much healthier for it long term. Insulin requirements will often decrease to very low levels too."
 
julie & punkin (ga) said:
When I think of frequent small meals (which isn't defined anywhere), I think about feeding about every 3 hours. When cats are on an OTJ trial, and a blue test pops up, we suggest that they feed the cat a little bit, then retest the blood sugar in about 3-4 hours. That process often brings down the blood sugar.

Just to reassure you, a number in the 50's on a human meter isn't a hypo. Those following the Tight Reg protocol would allow a cat to drop under 50 and use the 40's to bring up the blood sugar. So I think Baby was safe in the 50's that you got earlier. Here's the description of what to look for in remission:

Remission:
  • From Tilly's Diabetes Homepage:
    Phase 5: Remission

    "14 days without insulin and normal blood glucose values. Most remission cats are able to stay in the normal range all of the time (50 to 80 mg/dl), although there are a few cases of sporadic higher and lower BGs. Don't stop feeding low-carb and try to avoid cortisone if possible. Test the cat's BGs once per month.

    Approximately 25% cats that achieved remission using this protocol relapsed and required insulin again (frequent causes are hyperthyroidism or bouts of pancreatitis). Therefore, it is important to keep your diabetes kit up-to-date. Then you can react immediately by giving insulin and home testing. Importantly, the sooner you react to a relapse (i.e. preventing hyperglycemia and initiating other necessary veterinary treatment), the more likely a second remission will become.

    The longer a cat has had diabetes, the less likely it will go into remission. Many long-term diabetics get stuck in Phase 3 or 4. Yet there is a benefit of using this method for such a cat as well: keeping the cat's BG levels as normal as possible is much healthier for it long term. Insulin requirements will often decrease to very low levels too."
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Wow, every 3 hours? That's really often. How much at each feeding?
.So, do you think I stopped too soon? He's still showing blue numbers, but they are on fairly low.
 
Hi Leah,

Wishing you and Baby much luck with the trial. It sure feels good seeing our babies hit green with no juice, huh? Keep up the good work Baby!
 
Leah & Baby said:
.So, do you think I stopped too soon? He's still showing blue numbers, but they are on fairly low.
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I don't know - it's hard to say. Newly diagnosed kitties can sometimes go from 0.25u to zero - often their pancreas can heal fairly easily. We usually suggest that people try going to 0.1u before stopping. In general the idea is to give the pancreas as much support as it needs so that the remission is a strong one.

I think I'd just keep on as you are for the moment, continuing to test at least twice a day and if you get a blue number, feed a bite and then retest again in about 3-4 hours. Her blood sugar may settle down if you try feeding her small meals. It can make a definite difference. Even if you just do it while you're awake it will be helpful in seeing what's going on.
 
julie & punkin (ga) said:
I don't know - it's hard to say. Newly diagnosed kitties can sometimes go from 0.25u to zero - often their pancreas can heal fairly easily. We usually suggest that people try going to 0.1u before stopping. In general the idea is to give the pancreas as much support as it needs so that the remission is a strong one.

I think I'd just keep on as you are for the moment, continuing to test at least twice a day and if you get a blue number, feed a bite and then retest again in about 3-4 hours. Her blood sugar may settle down if you try feeding her small meals. It can make a definite difference. Even if you just do it while you're awake it will be helpful in seeing what's going on.
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Thanks, Julie. Baby is a BOY, though. It's interesting how many people assume Baby is a girl. Probably the name...very unsuitable for a 60+ year old man. :p

And, this is not our first time on the merry-go-round, which I know makes it harder to get remission. If you look at his profile, you can see the brief history. This time, he had pre-diabetic BG levels before treatment, mostly in the 200-250 range. My gut has told me there may be some other underlying cause besides diabetes, but there is no evidence to back it up. As you can see from the chart, he has been completely blue & green since the second week of treatment, so he responded quickly. I would like nothing more than to see him in a remission that will last. I will do what I can to give him the best odds. The counsel or the forum members is invaluable. I'm also interviewing a new holistic vet, as I am not happy with the guidance (or lack of) I am getting at my current vet.

I will try the frequent smaller meals and keep monitoring to make sure he stays in the same range. He has been vomiting fairly often lately--ingesting his winter coat, I think--and I have researched some HP/LC food that is higher in fiber to see if that helps. The smaller meals help to keep him from eating too much too fast, which he sometimes does.
 
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